Scene Four

 

 

War Lord's headquarters behind enemy lines. It is a sparse, dreary room on the second floor of a sparse and dreary building. Bars block the window downstage right and the upper part of the door upstage left. It is night. The room is dark, except for the outside illumination of gunfire and cannon blasts. All is somber. CLARISSE and BARON sit stage left, although separate from each other. JOHNNY is stage right, looking down out of the barred window. MOLLY sits near him, filing her nails. SAM is upstage center, holding ANNIE MAY's trembling hand. Silence. Then a blast of cannon fire and the music begins, slow and lugubrious. MOLLY rises, goes to Johnny. MOLLY What do you see out there?

JOHNNY

War. Bloodshed. Innocent lives lost.

MOLLY

It would not be so had I gotten through with the documents. (THEY both stare out at the carnage. Then ANNIE MAY falls to her knees and begins to sing.) ANNIE MAY                                         Lawd,
                                        I'se been a sinner,
                                        I'se done strayed
                                        From da fold---
                                        I wansa gets back
                                        To You, oh Lawdy,
                                        To dose pearly gates
                                        And dem streets
                                        Dat's paved wid gold. Lawd,
I is so weary,
I'se too long
On my own---
I wansa gets back
To You, oh, Lawdy,
Wid yo' hand in mine,
'Cause I don' wansa walks alone,
I don' wansa walks alone,
I wansa walks wid You. BARON Make her stop!

ANNIE MAY

Lawd,
I'se been a sinner…

BARON Make her stop, I say!

MOLLY

Annie May. The Baron isn't very religious. (ANNIE MAY retreats back to Sam, places her hand in his.) SAM That is very strange Buddhist hymn.

MOLLY

I've heard that song before, Annie May.

ANNIE MAY

Yes'm, Miz Molly.

MOLLY

I remember. When you used to lose at poker. Well, Johnny. It looks like our numbers are up.

JOHNNY

Too bad, sweetheart. We had just one moment of love. But what a moment!

MOLLY

It's never too late for an encore.

JOHNNY

In front of…?
                                                         (smiling, making a fist and tapping her on the jaw)
You're my kinda dame, you know that?

MOLLY

                                                         (doing the same to him)
And you're my kinda guy. The clock, it ticks away, Johnny,
We have so little time left.
Soon it will be day, Johnny,
But what I have to say, Johnny,
Whether you or I'm left,
Is---

There have been others before you,
There may be others again---
They only taught me how much I adore you,
You are a man among men.

There have been others behind you,
They’ve come from near and from far;
They only showed me how lucky to find you,
How very special you are.

For once I can say my responses
Are those of a lover, not a flirt;
It has nothing to do with schwanzes,
Though schwanzes surely can't hurt.

There have been others above me,
There have been others below;
They only taught me the ways you can love me,
A few I'm sure you don't know.
There have been others before you
But no one ever like you.

JOHNNY Oh, baby! The clock it ticks so loud, Molly,
I have but one request left.
I will not be cowed, Molly,
Though I end up in a shroud, Molly,
I've still got my zest left.
And…

There have been others before you,
There have been several old flames;
They only taught me how much I adore you,
You are a dame among dames.

There have been others behind me---
Lolita, Lily and Liz---
Their only purpose is now to remind me
How very special this is.

Amazing, how little each heart meant,
I'd love and then leave 'em on the shelf;
By the way, in the schwanz department,
You don't do too bad yourself.

There've been so many above me,
There've been so many below---
I can't conceive in the ways you can love me
That there are some I don't know.
There have been others before you,
But no one ever like you.

                                                                                (HE takes her in his arms and kisses her passionately.)

MOLLY

Oh, Johnny. We could have had so much fun on the train. (HE shoves her onto the floor where THEY begin to make wild love. Suddenly CLARISSE jumps up and comes toward them.) CLARISSE I don't want to die! I'm too young to die! I have my whole life before me!

MOLLY

Do you believe this?

JOHNNY

Ignore her.

MOLLY

That's going to be tough. She's on loan from Paramount.

CLARISSE

Too young, do you hear me?

BARON

Clarisse, will you shut up?

                                                                                        (MOLLY sighs, rises, straightens her dress.)

MOLLY

All right, Clarisse. Shoot.

CLARISSE

Clarisse. That's the first time you ever called me by my name.

MOLLY

I never knew your name until yesterday morning.

CLARISSE

Oh, Molly, you know so much more about the world than I do…

MOLLY

But you're learning fast.

CLARISSE

Where have I gone wrong, Molly? How did I get into this?

MOLLY

Because you have always tried to be somebody else instead of yourself.

CLARISSE

Oh, that is brilliant, Molly! I never thought of that. Oh, Molly, if I ever get out of this, I'll never forget what you just said. (The door creaks open. WAR LORD enters, followed by CHANG and WANG.) WAR LORD Clarisse Forbes-Franchon?

CLARISSE

No, I won't be your mistress! I'd rather die first! You hear me? I'd rather die!

MOLLY

There's no end to this one.

WAR LORD

You have visitors.

                                                                               (COLIN and ESME step in.)
 

CLARISSE

Colin! Esme! Oh, my dear, dear darlings! But how did you…?

COLIN

It wasn't easy.

ESME

All those cablegrams you sent your father. He began an investigation. Scotland Yard, Interpol, the Royal Mounties…

COLIN

I've just paid five thousand pounds for your release.

CLARISSE

You mean, I'm free? Molly, did you hear that? I'm free!

BARON

My beloved!

Some people meet in Biarritz,
Some meet in Scottish glens---

CLARISSE Go eat an egg roll. (But ESME is suddenly drawn to the Baron as the orchestra swings into "We Met in the Ocean".) ESME                                                                (to War Lord)
Wait! How much?

CLARISSE

Esme, you wouldn't!

ESME

How much?

WAR LORD

He goes higher.

ESME

How much higher?

WAR LORD

Ten thousand.

BARON

Take it.

CLARISSE

You'll be sorry.

ESME

Five fifty.

WAR LORD

Nine.

BARON

Take it!

ESME

Six.

WAR LORD Eight.

BARON

For God's sake, take it!

ESME

Seven.

WAR LORD

Sold.

ESME

                                                    (pulling out a checkbook and writing)
Wrap him up.

CLARISSE

China makes women hard. But what about Molly…and Johnny? But mostly Molly.

WAR LORD

Not for sale.

CLARISSE

Oh, dear. Well, c'est la vie. I did try, darlings. Ta-ta. (SHE is off followed by COLIN, then ESME holding securely onto BARON.) WAR LORD Take them!

                                                                               (CHANG and WANG seize Sam and Annie May.)
 

ANNIE MAY

Miz Molly!

MOLLY

My maid stays with me.

JOHNNY

And my buddy with me.

WAR LORD

That's what you think. (He claps his hands. CHANG and WANG begin to drag out Annie May and Sam.) ANNIE MAY Miz Molly, save me!

MOLLY

Don't worry, Annie May. If we ever get out of here alive, I'll meet you back at Marcel's in Papeete.

ANNIE MAY

But, Miz Molly, I'se goin' befo' da firing squad.

MOLLY

Remember one thing, Annie May. Firing squads are like men. There are a great many bullets, but very few hit the mark.

ANNIE MAY

Oh, Miz Molly!

                                                                                (CHANG and WANG have them out the door now.)
 

WAR LORD

What makes you think you will ever see Papeete again?

MOLLY

You have the briefcase. What more do you want?

WAR LORD

You, Mandalay Molly.

JOHNNY

You lay your grubby paws on her…

WAR LORD

I came to your compartment on the Shanghai Express for the sole purpose of stealing the documents. But once you were in my arms, I knew I could never live without you.

MOLLY

What else is new?

WAR LORD

I want you, Mandalay Molly, like I've never wanted anything in my life.

MOLLY

That bad, huh? All right. You release my friends, and you can have me.

JOHNNY

No! Are you crazy, Molly? You'd be the woman of this yellow devil? Over my dead body.

MOLLY

                                                            (to War Lord)
Leave us a moment.

WAR LORD

Hurry. It is almost sunrise.

                                                           (HE marches out the door, locking it behind him.)
 

JOHNNY

If I knew you'd be his woman, I'd kill us both right now.

MOLLY

Listen to me, Johnny. Those documents will save China, won't they?

JOHNNY

Sure. But that yellow devil…

MOLLY

He doesn't have them. The documents in that briefcase are phony. The real ones are here.

                                                          (SHE opens her cigarette case and pulls out a cigarette.)
 

JOHNNY

In there?!

MOLLY

I write small. Now, listen, if we're both going to die, we might as well make a run for it. Here. Take the cigarette. I will distract him.

JOHNNY

It's too dangerous. You take the cigarette. I'll do the distracting.

MOLLY

But you'll be killed!

JOHNNY

If it means that China will live…

                                                             (Door creaks open. WAR LORD re-enters.)
 

WAR LORD

Time up. What is your answer?

JOHNNY

This is her answer. (He knocks War Lord down and races out the door. MOLLY runs to the window.) VOICE (o.s.) The American is escaping!

SECOND VOICE (o.s.)

Get him!

THIRD VOICE (o.s.)

Shoot him!

MOLLY

Johnny!
                                                                                 (A rapid spray of machine gun fire)
Oh, Johnny! (But SHE cannot wait. Millions of innocent people depend on her mission. SHE flees out the door, tears streaming down her cheeks. The orchestra is playing a stirring rendition of "There Have Been Others Before You".)
 
 
  LIGHTS DIM